Is dental school as demanding as medical school?

[PAthrowaway]

This might be difficult to answer, since rarely will one person go to both programs, but perhaps people might have an idea based on observation.

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[Jlm50]

This might be difficult to answer, since rarely will one person go to both programs, but perhaps people might have an idea based on observation.

I believe they are quite similar as some schools have med students and dental students together with the same curriculum for the first 2 years.

 

[Big Time Hoosier]

I believe the consensus is the first 2 years of dental school suck worse than the first 2 of medical school, and then it flips. Medical residencies also suck more, a lot more (aside from oral surgery).

Big Hoss

 

[Lane138]

Yeah so I went to Harvard where the dental schools do the first 2 years (the didactic) as part of the med school so I can weigh in a little. First of all, keep in mind any comparisons is moot because you're not going to experience both. Both WILL be very challenging and covers a broad range of materials and details quickly. Upperclassmen always liken it to drinking from a fire hydrant. Does it really matter if you're drinking from a large hydrant or a small one?

The experience you'll have is VERY dependent on the grading system. P/F schools tend to be more relaxed IMO. However, the med students are noticeably more stressed than dental students come 2nd year because their USMLE is objectively a lot harder than our NBDE boards. I tried using a USMLE study guide to challenge myself and almost immediately gave up.

 

[Big Time Hoosier]

What makes the first 2 years of dental school particularly challenging is that you’re not just responsible for a ton of didactic material but you also need to master your hand skills in the simulation lab. Yes, the med students may go into greater depth in the biomedical sciences, but you have a fraction of the time they do to study. The med students may be done by noon with class, but you’ll be in the lab until 6:00 practicing drilling on plastic teeth and whatnot. Then you can go home to study.

Like @Lane138 said, either way you’re drinking from a fire hose.

Big Hoss

 

[PhansterZ]

I'm an Oral and Maxillofacial surgery resident and decided to do both. I went to a state dental school, and am currently finishing my MD at a state medical school.
While most dental schools integrate hand skills early on, a select few (Harvard, Columbia, Uconn, etc) complete their first 2 years with the med students. It's another topic and others can chime in on this.
For my first 2 years of dental school, the hand skills part was be the most difficult part, as most people have not had this type of exercise, and evaluation. I had to practice a lot as spent most of my evenings doing this.
The first 2 years of medical school is all about studying, with most schools have their lectures recorded. This means that you can study at your own pace, but there is long term stress associated with it, because if you want to match into a uber competitive specialty, you will have to study all 2 years full time, with 1 test (USMLE step 1) determining your entire career path. Didn't do too hot? Say Goodbye to plastic surgery, ENT, derm and hello to Fam med, pediatrics or psychiatry.
The last 2 years of dental school can be very stressful as you have to complete your requirements to be able to graduate. Although most of it will depend on the school and you, a lot of luck can be associated as it depends on what your assigned patients need. You will be responsible for their care.
Third year med school can be stressful as you get out of the classroom and into the hospital for your clerkships. Although you're not responsible for any patients, you are expected to know about them and present them to the attendings and residents. 4th year of medical school? Get ready to do nothing for the entire years but interview and chillax.

tldr; pick dschool if u wanna do handskills stuff for fun, pick med if u wanna study all day all night

 

[PAthrowaway]

Thank you all for the responses so far. They were very helpful to me (and probably anyone else wondering the same thing).

On another note, I'm assuming the first two years of either program might be just a little easier for someone who already attended a PA program?

 

[Big Time Hoosier]

Thank you all for the responses so far. They were very helpful to me (and probably anyone else wondering the same thing).

On another note, I'm assuming the first two years of either program might be just a little easier for someone who already attended a PA program?

Why the career switch?

Big Hoss

 

[luisfigo]

Brothers are MD's, I'm a DDS student, both have their challenges, but I would say that being at the top of your class in dental school is another animal as your hand/lab skills are taken into consideration. I can do didactic courses all day long, like most students at this level, as we're all trained that way in college; but having to put in extra time to do things like wax-ups, preparations, restorations, etc and maintain a 4.0 is very challenging. It's pretty difficult to be good at all of it, whereas in med school you don't worry about such stuff you just study your butt off, and they give you time to do it. Most dental programs are all day 8-5 with labs everyday with less time to study for exams.

Med school is probably more stressful, as everyone is competing to get somewhere, and dental school has a lot more guys who can screw around b/c they just need to pass and start working as a general dentist, but I would say that trying to get into the really competitive dental residencies is just as stressful as all of it. It's all about what you want. For dental students the worst job coming out is a general dentist, and my friend just made 330k last year, not bad for 4 years and no residency.

 

[Screwtape]

Brothers are MD's, I'm a DDS student, both have their challenges, but I would say that being at the top of your class in dental school is another animal as your hand/lab skills are taken into consideration. I can do didactic courses all day long, like most students at this level, as we're all trained that way in college; but having to put in extra time to do things like wax-ups, preparations, restorations, etc and maintain a 4.0 is very challenging. It's pretty difficult to be good at all of it, whereas in med school you don't worry about such stuff you just study your butt off, and they give you time to do it. Most dental programs are all day 8-5 with labs everyday with less time to study for exams.

Med school is probably more stressful, as everyone is competing to get somewhere, and dental school has a lot more guys who can screw around b/c they just need to pass and start working as a general dentist, but I would say that trying to get into the really competitive dental residencies is just as stressful as all of it. It's all about what you want. For dental students the worst job coming out is a general dentist, and my friend just made 330k last year, not bad for 4 years and no residency.

Worst job according to who? I always thought pedodontists had the worst job 😉

 

[PAthrowaway]

Why the career switch?

Big Hoss

Sorry for the late response, I ended up getting busy on the weekend.

I'm a pathologist assistant. There isn't any advancement in the career, either in position or pay. I just don't feel challenged and I can't see myself doing this for the next thirty years. Luckily, I was able to get a bunch of scholarships, so I wasn't in crazy debt at all by going to the Pathologist Assistant program.

 

[artist2022]

On another note, I'm assuming the first two years of either program might be just a little easier for someone who already attended a PA program?

I'm a pathologist assistant.

PA means something else entirely (to most people), and I think people might now have different opinions to give you haha

 

[PAthrowaway]

PA means something else entirely (to most people), and I think people might now have different opinions to give you haha

lol, you are probably right, should have specified.

 

[Life of Pablo]

Someone posted this in another thread:

Yo, its H/P/F which does make a difference depending on where you wish to specialize. No ranking though, which is good or bad depending on your personal views regarding that. As a graduate from UCLA I can certainly say it sucked but there is some value from being treated like garbage for years in terms of how it can make future crappy situations seem not so bad because it may not equate to that of the UCLA experience if one were so fortunate to experience themselves.

Now, after having been to med school, I can see how different and better students are treated at a med school compared to a dental school. After my first week at med school I was like Holy **** is this how a health profession school is supposed to be like!? Talk about med students whining and being babied man, what a joke that is. Funny thing is they don't know nor can understand how good they actually have it.

 

[ysrebob]

I did dental school and my roomates were med students at the same school. At that school, probably a typical one:

If you don’t care about class rank, dental is easier. If trying to maintain good rank:
- D school is worse years 1 and 2
- med school much worse year 3
- D school worse again year 4, though on either track this is a relatively easy year.
- Med internship/residency is incomparably harder than any part of the dental track.

Either way, the years fly by. Don’t choose course based on which would be harder nor on income projections etc. Try to choose the occupation that would genuinely suit you best. Drastic difference in the nature of the day-to-day life of a GP in medicine vs dental. Only you could know which suits you best.